


dead of the night

by atsueshi



Series: after this [6]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-13 17:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1235179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atsueshi/pseuds/atsueshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daiki thinks too much.</p><blockquote>
  <p>It was these small moments that made all the pain worthwhile to Daiki: Tetsu snuggled against him, fingers splayed across his chest, breathing quietly and sleeping soundly with his lips pressed on Daiki’s shoulder. It was this way every day now, waking up in the dead of night just watching Tetsu sleep beside him like the angel he wasn’t when awake.</p>
</blockquote>
            </blockquote>





	dead of the night

**Author's Note:**

> Entry for AoKuro Army in the [2014 OTP Battle](http://basketballpoetsociety.tumblr.com/tagged/otp%20battle).

It was these small moments that made all the pain worthwhile to Daiki: Tetsu snuggled against him, fingers splayed across his chest, breathing quietly and sleeping soundly with his lips pressed on Daiki’s shoulder. It was this way every day now, waking up in the dead of night just watching Tetsu sleep beside him like the angel he wasn’t when awake.

     It was a habit that began a long, long time ago, and it was a habit that changed with him. During the earlier days of their arrangement, Daiki was often fraught and unable to sleep at all, afraid he’d wake up and find out that Tetsu was just an all-too vivid dream. It was a long, slow process of denial and acceptance. Those dark years of regret and emotional self-flagellation ended with him being more fragile than ever, and all the gruelling pain he had been through afterwards left him hiding behind a sturdy wall of shame and doubt that not even Satsuki had the strength to get past. This wall was the one that Tetsu had so patiently and so carefully taken apart, brick by brick, inch by inch, until it was high enough for him to just climb over. Tetsu was amazing like that; even when he had the chance to take down the wall entirely, he still chose to leave out the parts that stayed closest to Daiki. Doing so was offering Daiki the security that came with being around something that had then become so familiar already, but also leaving out a huge reminder of the reasons why the wall had been built in the first place. It was so like Tetsu, Daiki even felt the need to laugh when he realised it was Tetsu’s plan all along. It was Tetsu’s brand of forgiveness, and while it wasn’t the best kind there was, Daiki had learned to live with it. Tetsu always had that masterful mind of his so it wasn’t an easy bargain at all, but when Tetsu made it clear and challenged him wordlessly, Daiki didn’t even think about it: he was a fool, yes, but he was not so foolish as to let another chance go, and everything else can just go to hell.

     Now, however, it was just the really simple wish of watching him doze, peaceful and vulnerable and much too amazing to look at.

     Daiki brushed Tetsu’s hair away and marvelled at how lucky a man would have to be to get so many chances. He once voiced out these thoughts to Tetsu, who just scoffed at him and told him it wasn’t luck; on anything else, Daiki would believe Tetsu’s words, but this time he knew Tetsu was wrong. It was luck that made him run into Tetsu, luck that forced Daiki to forget himself and spill out his apologies to Tetsu, luck that gave way to Kise and Satsuki coming to meet them and taking them along around town. Any sane man would know better than to question the graces he’s been given, but Daiki had never claimed to be in the right mind and Daiki simply couldn’t  _not_  question his good fortune because Tetsu doesn’t really deserve him, does he?

     (Tetsu had gotten really mad at him once, when he told Tetsu about this fear. “You are not my mother, or father, or grandmother, Daiki,” he had bitten out so frostily that time. “You can’t tell me what I do or don’t deserve.”)

     Amidst his thoughts, Daiki felt Tetsu’s hand grab his neck and pull him back underneath the covers. “Sleep,” he mumbled sleepily. “Thinking doesn’t suit you.”

     Much as Daiki would have wanted to say something against the obvious insult, he just settled beside Tetsu and closed his eyes. Right beside Tetsu, it was far too easy to sleep.


End file.
